Jim Jarmusch’s THE LIMITS OF CONTROL will be available on Blu-ray December 10th From Arrow Academy
When it comes to American independent cinema, there s no one quite like Jim Jarmusch, the celebrated auteur behind such classics as Stranger Than Paradise and Only Lovers Left Alive. Eschewing his usual American landscapes in favor of a variety of locations throughout urban and rural Spain, his 2009 anti-thriller The Limits of Control remains one of his most alluring and multi-layered creations.
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An enigmatic loner (Isaach de Bankolé, Black Panther, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai) arrives in Spain, instructed to make contact with a series of strangers in different locations throughout the country, each of whom provides a cryptic clue which propels him further towards his mysterious goal. But who is the Lone Man? Why is he here? And how does the recurring figure of an alluring femme fatale (Paz de la Huerta, Enter the Void) fit into the puzzle?
Boasting stunning cinematography by the award-winning Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love) and featuring cameos from an array of celebrated character actors, including Tilda Swinton (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Gael García Bernal (Y Tu Mamá También) and the late John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), The Limits of Control is a languid, hauntingly beautiful film that combines the best of American and European arthouse sensibilities.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
High Definition Blu-rayTM (1080p) presentation
Original lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0 stereo soundtracks
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
An American in Europe, a new video interview with Geoff Andrew, author of Stranger Than Paradise: Maverick Film-Makers in Recent American Cinema
The Rituals of Control, a new video essay on the film by author and critic Amy Simmons
Behind Jim Jarmusch, an archival documentary on the making of the film
Untitled Landscapes, an archival featurette showcasing the film s locations
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring two choices of artwork,
“Get out of here Anthony, or I’ll shout your bloody ears off!”
Director Jerzy Skolimowski’s THE SHOUT (1978) starring Alan Bates, Susannah York, and John Hurt screens Saturday, November 2nd at Webster University’s Moor Auditorium(470 E Lockwood Ave)at 7:30pm. A Facebook invite for the film can be found HERE
Esteemed film critic Dave Kehr once described The Shout as “a trance thriller that beats Peter Weir on his own turf.” This surrealist horror film, winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes upon its 1978 premiere, is told in flashback over the course of a cricket match taking place at a mental hospital. The narrator of these flashbacks is Charles Crossley (Alan Bates), previously a resident among Australian aborigines, who, alongside other skills, managed to pick up the ability to cut loose with a shout so extreme that it kills all who hear it. Co-starring Tim Curry, just three years after The Rocky Horror Picture Show, as Robert Graves, whose 1926 short story served as the source material for the film. Soundtrack by Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks of the prog rock band Genesis.
Admission is:
$7 for the general public $6 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools $5 for Webster University staff and faculty
¨It’s got a wonderful defense mechanism. You don’t dare kill it.¨
Forty years ago, Ridley Scott‘s science-fiction/horror masterpiece ALIEN revolutionized the genre and the industry. To celebrate its 40th anniversary and everlasting impact on filmmaking, I wanted to remind you that Fathom Events is bringing ALIEN back to the big screen at more than 600 nationwide theaters as part of its TCM Big Screen Classics series. A perfect pre-Halloween fright, ALIEN returns to theaters for three days only: this Sunday, October 13, Tuesday, October 15, and Wednesday, October 16.
Moviegoers can search for their local participating theaters and purchase tickets for ALIEN now at FathomEvents.com.
Working from a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and a story by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, ALIEN is a film dripping in dread. Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto are the crew members of the Nostromo, which investigates a mysterious signal coming from an unknown planet. When they unwittingly take an alien creature aboard the ship, they have no idea just how terrifying—and deadly—the ordeal will be.
· WHAT: In the summer of 1979, moviegoers journeyed into deep space and met with unimaginable horror as they discovered director Ridley Scott’s science-fiction/horror masterpiece Alien. Working from a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and a story by O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, Scott created a film dripping in dread, one that upended audience expectations for a science-fiction film by combining a futuristic setting with extreme terror. Forty years later, Alien returns to more than 600 cinemas nationwide for three days only, with special commentary before and after the film from TCM Primetime Host Ben Mankiewicz.
Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Veronica Cartwright, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto are the crew members of the Nostromo, which veers off course to explore a mysterious signal emanating from an unknown planet. When they unwittingly take an alien creature aboard the ship, they have no idea just how terrifying – and deadly – the ordeal will be.
Combining a remarkable visual style, including designs by H.R. Giger and Oscar®-winning visual effects, along with a disquieting score by Jerry Goldsmith, Alien has become a modern classic.
· WHO: Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Twentieth Century Fox
· WHEN: Sunday, October 13, 2019 – 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. (local time)
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 – 7:00 p.m. (local time)
Wednesday, October 16, 2019 – 7:00 p.m. (local time)
· WHERE: Tickets for Alien can be purchased at www.FathomEvents.com or participating theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (participating theaters are subject to change).
¨It’s got a wonderful defense mechanism. You don’t dare kill it.¨
ALIEN plays this weekend (May 3rd and 4th) at the Tivoli (6350 Delmar Boulevard)as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli Midnight series.A Facebook invite for the screening can be found HERE
Ridley Scott has had a great career and has made many fantastic films, but ALIEN (1979), only his second, may arguably be his best.
It may be one of those films where everything fit perfectly. Direction, cast, visuals, score, atmosphere, editing, pacing. It’s hard to believe it was made 34 years ago it holds up so well. Made two years after Fox’s license to print money after STAR WARS, their next big sci-fi hit couldn’t have been more different. Much like STAR WARS, ALIEN drew on older movies for inspiration, such as IT THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE, PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES, FORBIDDEN PLANET, THE THING, etc. And like STAR WARS, it presented B-movie thrills with an A-picture budget, treating its material seriously. If you could liken STAR WARS to a cliffhanger serial for modern kids, ALIENis like the old B-movie space monster films for a modern adult audience.
Now you’ll have the chance to revisit ALIEN in all its big-screen glory when it plays midnights this weekend (May 3rd and 4th) as part of the Tivoli’s Reel Late at the Tivoli Midnight Series! Even better, this will be the ALIEN Original Theatrical cut that we all enjoyed 40 years ago! Don’t miss ALIEN this weekend! I’ll be there with ALIEN trivia and prizes!
The following review was originally posted on June 15, 2017. THE JOURNEY opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas
Is it possible to whittle away at an “unmovable rock” in the political arena? Especially when there’s a 40 year history of bloody conflict forming an unbreakable shell around that formidable boulder? Well, how about forcing him into a trip with his enemy? That’s just what happens in this new film, in which its makers wish to be a “fly on the wall” during a remarkable day that changed the course of a country. It’s a “what if” look at a seminal time just 11 years ago when two opposing leaders try to find common ground during THE JOURNEY.
The year is 2006, and “the troubles” have rocked Ireland for over four decades. British Prime Minister Tony Blair (Toby Stephens) has organized a political conference dealing with the problems at an estate in Scotland. Unfortunately the opposing forces refuse to sit in the same room, let alone talk face to face. Then “Mother Nature” provides a opportunity. An incoming storm has forced the shut down of the local airport. The leader of the of the Democratic Unionist Party, the firebrand Protestant minister Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall) must take a plane to Glasgow in order to attend his big 50th wedding anniversary party. Luckily the Edinburgh airport is still open, but it’s 48 kilometers away. Paisley’s aides request a shuttle from Blair. But when the representatives of Northern Ireland’s Sinn Fein hear of this, former IRA leader Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney) insists that he join Paisley, hoping to iron out their differences. Blair agrees, and lets a commander of MI-5, Harry Patterson (John Hurt), supervise the transport. A top of the line SUV, rigged with all manner of recording and transmitting devices, arrives complete with a driver named Jack (Freddie Highmore) who’s an undercover agent (getting his orders from Patterson via a Blutooth device) disguised as a “local” (complete with kilt). As they hit the highway, Martin and Jack try to prod the surly Ian into a conversation that can end the killings once and for all, since they may never get another chance.
Well, if you’re going to be part of a long road trip, it’s fortunate that three great actors are there for the ride. The most flamboyant character may be the quick-to-anger Paisley, given life and great energy by the always compelling Spall. With a ever-present sneer, or is it a scowl, Spall fully embodies the ultimate obstinate man (that immovable rock mentioned earlier). There’s no slow burn, but he shows us a slow realization that things must change and he’ll have to tone down his extreme rhetoric. But, the man at the pulpit is always on call as we witness in a funny scene at the gas pumps. Despite the guttural growl and dental prosthetics, Spall is quite effective. It helps that he’s teamed with an equally terrific sparring partner in Meaney. His Martin struggles to find the right way to get inside Ian’s head. Just when he seems to have broken through a door, Paisley congers a stronger wall. Meaney conveys the frustration and the fatigue. He’s spent most of his life fighting, and wants to put down the swords as he enters his golden years. But he’s still proud as Meaney gives us a master strategist who can bend, but refuses to break. As their driver Jack, Highmore does his best to think on his feet, struggling to follow Ian and Martin’s lead while appeasing the voice in his ear. He’s full of enthusiasm while navigating through a political minefield. Luckily the man in his ear is the much missed, late, great Hurt, who also seems weary, but is equally determined to end his long spy career with a big, big victory. Hurt is sad, but still doggedly optimistic in own of his final film performances.
For those with an interest in a history of the long conflict, this film will be an engaging look at its turning point. Luckily the producers have included lots of news footage and photos for those with a fleeting knowledge of “the troubles”. Unfortunately several scenes like the forest encounter and the walk through the docks seem contrived, only inserted so the two men can leave the van . Could the script have originally been intended for the stage? As with many translations of plays to film, the producers feel a great need to “open things up”, to make things more “cinematic”. It’s more than a bit distracting, making the hour or so airport ride feel much longer (a true pacing problem). The fine acting deserves a better showcase, but the film does give us an opportunity to see some superior work from some beloved performers, and for that, many movie goers will be happy to have embarked on THE JOURNEY.
Each summer, while the multiplexes are filled with the big spectacles and epic blockbusters, the little gems that grip us with their humor, their tragedy and their humanity, manage to find their ways into the cinemas. This year it’s THE JOURNEY, the gripping account of how two men from opposite sides of the political spectrum came together to change the course of history.
In 2006, amidst the ongoing, decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland, representatives from the two warring factions meet for negotiations. In one corner is Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall), the deeply conservative British loyalist; in the other is Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney), a former Irish Republican Army leader who has devoted his life to the cause of Irish reunification. Opposites in every way, the two men at first seem to have little chance of ever finding common ground. But over the course of an impromptu, detour-filled car ride through the Scottish countryside, each begins to see the other less as an enemy, and more as an individual—a breakthrough that promises to at last bring peace to the troubled region.
Driven by two virtuoso central performances, THE JOURNEY is a more-relevant-than-ever reminder of how simple humanity can overcome political division. Freddie Highmore, Toby Stephens, Catherine McCormack and John Hurt co-star. (Review)
I recently spoke with the director of THE JOURNEY, award winning director Nick Hamm. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Hamm directed cult-classic THE HOLE (2001), starring Thora Birch and Keira Knightley, in her feature film debut. He also helmed Lionsgate’s thriller GODSEND (2004), starring Robert DeNiro, Rebecca Romijn and Greg Kinnear.
Hamm later produced and directed the 80’s U2-centric comedy, KILLING BONO (2011) for Paramount Pictures and Northern Ireland Screen, starring Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan and Pete Postelwaite.
During our discussion about his latest movie, the British director and I talked about the film’s mixture of tension and humor, the human story and the message of THE JOURNEY.
We Are Movie Geeks: THE JOURNEY is a good story that should be told – the type that audiences don’t see anymore. It opened in 2016 in Toronto and then Venice, and finally had its premiere at the Belfast Film Festival in May 2017. What was the crowd’s reaction and how was it received?
Nick Hamm: That was a really extraordinary event. I’ve seen it now with thousands of people watching the movie and if you’re going to see a movie like this, you really need to take it back to Northern Ireland to see what they make of it. In the end, that’s where the authenticity of the film is. It is important to us. The event was attended by nearly a thousand people and political leaders from both sides of the community came so we had politicians from Sinn Féin and politicians from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). It was a very emotional and momentous event because in many respects it reminded people of something that they had achieved and had risked losing.
We Are Movie Geeks: It is such an interesting script by writer Colin Bateman, one that is funny, sad, and dramatic. Tell me about lead actors Timothy Spall (Paisley) and Colm Meaney (McGuinness – who died recently in March) and the casting. Their characters became known as ”the Chuckle Brothers”. Both actors were very impressive to watch.
Nick Hamm: What underscores everything is the fact that Colin’s script is so good and when that happens, you attract really good actors. Both Tim and Colm were fantastic partners on the film. Tim had to transform himself – he’s playing a six foot five, Northern Irish politician when in reality he’s a five foot nine London actor. We did some prosthetics on his chin and a little aging on his hair, along with the false teeth. The hair and makeup was done by Polly McKay. Tim became the character of Paisley which was fascinating to watch and he’s one of those actors that totally transforms himself.
Colm is one of Ireland’s best actors. What was important was to find somebody who could give McGuinness sympathy. This is a man whose background is well documented. What do you do? You start by making him human, you give him a life and a backstory. When you put someone like Colm Meany in that role, Colm transforms himself for that. He understands the culture from where that character comes, he understands the basis of that character’s ideology and he understands how that character ticks. If you have that and you are a good actor – which he is, then you have a good combination. It was great to watch him.
We Are Movie Geeks: I was very pleased to see the late John Hurt in the film in what was one of his final roles.
Nick Hamm: We all knew that John was very sick while he was doing the film. When we offered him the movie, he wanted to work until the end and play the part. It was real tribute to have him involved as a part of the film.
We Are Movie Geeks: Irish writer Seamus Heaney, although not a political animal was an artist like yourself. He was affected by “The Troubles” when his cousin Colum was killed as a result of the war – Heaney moved from Northern Ireland to Southern Ireland after that. Has it affected you in any way and was this a partial reason why you made the film?
Nick Hamm: It hasn’t affected me personally but I knew people who were. Growing up I was in school in Northern Ireland and I knew people who had real problems. I could see it with my own eyes, the difficulties back then, and it was an intense situation. The vast portion of the people in Northern Ireland went on about their daily life unaffected by it. The real heroes were the people who got on with their daily lives in that situation.
THE JOURNEY for me shows how a unique political friendship was achieved at the personal cost of both men. Both men were vilified by their respective communities, but it was one of the most unique political friendships that I had ever witnessed. For two people who were so antagonistic towards each other, who ultimately came to respect each other, and became friends with each other, is why I made the movie and to tell their story.
We Are Movie Geeks: Despite technically being set in Scotland, and on a plane, THE JOURNEY was filmed in Northern Ireland. There’s no green screen and it was filmed on the road with your director of photography Greg Gardiner. What was the approach when you took it out of the plane and into the car?
Nick Hamm: This device protected the claustrophobia that the film so demanded while allowing a political version of a road movie to take place. We decided to not be frightened by the tyranny of the car but rather embrace it and enjoy the conceit. Greg and I had discussed and ultimately rejected the idea of green-screen or back-projection very early. We filmed on the road, creating a ‘mobile studio’; our own little cinematic microcosm
We Are Movie Geeks: There is one scene in particular, where McGuiness and Paisley let down their defenses somewhat, set inside a church and then out in the cemetery, that has real depth.
Nick Hamm: I think in the cemetery scene when Colm breaks down, everyone expects Paisley to be sympathetic and wrap his arms around him, but he rebuffs him and shows him no pity or sympathy. Every scene was like a boxing match with each character winning a round.
We Are Movie Geeks: I appreciated the sound editing and especially the score from Stephen Warbeck who first became known for the music for “Prime Suspect” and won an Academy Award for his score for Shakespeare in Love. It is a really nice score.
Nick Hamm: It was something quite new for him and he really had a go at it.
We Are Movie Geeks: Did you speak to the families and to some of the individuals involved? And what was their reaction?
Nick Hamm: I met McGuiness before he died. The whole film came together very quickly from the start.. From the script to the financing, it was out in about two and a half years. It’s been a very quick process and very rare for an independent film. I did sit with McGuiness before we started filming about his friendship with Paisley and it was fascinating to hear him speak how important the relationship was and how important it was that they maintained contact up to its logical conclusion. I did talk to Paisley’s family and to his son. We wanted to reassure them we were not riding roughshod over the history. But at the same time it was important to be creatively independent. We did not share the screenplay with them at any stage. In the end both families really loved the movie.
Plus Sinn Féin and the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) really liked the film, which is almost unheard of, both parties liking the same thing never mind the same movie. The most important thing for us was that the story was balanced.
We Are Movie Geeks: Brexit is seemingly in the news all the time now. As a result, checkpoints could be set up again to control borders. The timing of the film and its release couldn’t be more relevant. Will it cause a major headache between Northern Ireland and Ireland? Will it hinder Ireland’s reunification?
Nick Hamm: The question needs to be asked and it’s a dreadful situation. The idea that there will be a border back in Ireland again, I don’t think anybody wants that. I know for a fact that the DUP doesn’t want that and it would be suicide for both the economy and the welfare of the people to start putting border checks back up. That border in Ireland runs through people’s fields and farms. It was never designed to be a hard border, which it was during “The Troubles”. It would be an unmitigated tragedy to go back to that.
We Are Movie Geeks: Speaking of Indie Films, what are your thoughts on how people see films? Many are leaving the cinemas in favor of watching a film at home or on the computers with the advent of Netflix and HULU, etc.
Nick Hamm: I like that at the beginning of a movie’s life that it has a public screening. I think the ways a film is distributed these days is really fascinating. I don’t distinguish between how and where a movie is watched. It’s changing so quickly, in five years-time it’ll change all again. Even the act of going to a movie theater is going to change. As long as they keep putting out these huge blockbuster films, in the cinemas is the best way to watch them. However some films work better on a smaller screen. I think screen size some people can get very worked up about.
We Are Movie Geeks: What’s your next project?
Nick Hamm: We are going to do the DeLorean story, DRIVEN. It’s through the eyes of the guy who gave him up to the FBI. We’re hoping to shoot in September in Puerto Rico. The script is from THE JOURNEY’s Colin Bateman. Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace and Timothy Olyphant are in the picture.
Synopsis:
DRIVEN is the turbo-charged story about the FBI sting operation to entrap maverick car designer John DeLorean.
Sudeikis stars as Jim Hoffman, a con artist-turned-informer for the FBI in the war on drugs. Olyphant plays his handler, determined to snare the world-famous but enigmatic DeLorean (Pace) — desperate for cash to finance his dream of designing the ultimate car of the future — in a drug deal that would become the most lurid celebrity scandal of the 1980s.
Is it possible to whittle away at an “unmovable rock” in the political arena? Especially when there’s a 40 year history of bloody conflict forming an unbreakable shell around that formidable boulder? Well, how about forcing him into a trip with his enemy? That’s just what happens in this new film, in which its makers wish to be a “fly on the wall” during a remarkable day that changed the course of a country. It’s a “what if” look at a seminal time just 11 years ago when two opposing leaders try to find common ground during THE JOURNEY.
The year is 2006, and “the troubles” have rocked Ireland for over four decades. British Prime Minister Tony Blair (Toby Stephens) has organized a political conference dealing with the problems at an estate in Scotland. Unfortunately the opposing forces refuse to sit in the same room, let alone talk face to face. Then “Mother Nature” provides a opportunity. An incoming storm has forced the shut down of the local airport. The leader of the of the Democratic Unionist Party, the firebrand Protestant minister Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall) must take a plane to Glasgow in order to attend his big 50th wedding anniversary party. Luckily the Edinburgh airport is still open, but it’s 48 kilometers away. Paisley’s aides request a shuttle from Blair. But when the representatives of Northern Ireland’s Sinn Fein hear of this, former IRA leader Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney) insists that he join Paisley, hoping to iron out their differences. Blair agrees, and lets a commander of MI-5, Harry Patterson (John Hurt), supervise the transport. A top of the line SUV, rigged with all manner of recording and transmitting devices, arrives complete with a driver named Jack (Freddie Highmore) who’s an undercover agent (getting his orders from Patterson via a Blutooth device) disguised as a “local” (complete with kilt). As they hit the highway, Martin and Jack try to prod the surly Ian into a conversation that can end the killings once and for all, since they may never get another chance.
Well, if you’re going to be part of a long road trip, it’s fortunate that three great actors are there for the ride. The most flamboyant character may be the quick-to-anger Paisley, given life and great energy by the always compelling Spall. With a ever-present sneer, or is it a scowl, Spall fully embodies the ultimate obstinate man (that immovable rock mentioned earlier). There’s no slow burn, but he shows us a slow realization that things must change and he’ll have to tone down his extreme rhetoric. But, the man at the pulpit is always on call as we witness in a funny scene at the gas pumps. Despite the guttural growl and dental prosthetics, Spall is quite effective. It helps that he’s teamed with an equally terrific sparring partner in Meaney. His Martin struggles to find the right way to get inside Ian’s head. Just when he seems to have broken through a door, Paisley congers a stronger wall. Meaney conveys the frustration and the fatigue. He’s spent most of his life fighting, and wants to put down the swords as he enters his golden years. But he’s still proud as Meaney gives us a master strategist who can bend, but refuses to break. As their driver Jack, Highmore does his best to think on his feet, struggling to follow Ian and Martin’s lead while appeasing the voice in his ear. He’s full of enthusiasm while navigating through a political minefield. Luckily the man in his ear is the much missed, late, great Hurt, who also seems weary, but is equally determined to end his long spy career with a big, big victory. Hurt is sad, but still doggedly optimistic in own of his final film performances.
For those with an interest in a history of the long conflict, this film will be an engaging look at its turning point. Luckily the producers have included lots of news footage and photos for those with a fleeting knowledge of “the troubles”. Unfortunately several scenes like the forest encounter and the walk through the docks seem contrived, only inserted so the two men can leave the van . Could the script have originally been intended for the stage? As with many translations of plays to film, the producers feel a great need to “open things up”, to make things more “cinematic”. It’s more than a bit distracting, making the hour or so airport ride feel much longer (a true pacing problem). The fine acting deserves a better showcase, but the film does give us an opportunity to see some superior work from some beloved performers, and for that, many movie goers will be happy to have embarked on THE JOURNEY.
“If you want a vision of the future, Winston, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever.”
1984 (made in 1984) starring John Hurt and Richard Burton screens Tuesday April 4th at The St. Louis Public Library Central Branch (1301 Olive Street St. Louis) at 6:30pm. The post-screening discussion includes Sarah Kendzior, a St. Louis-based journalist, author of “The View from Flyover Country,” and an expert in authoritarian regimes; Gregory Magarian, professor of law at Washington University and expert in free speech and law in politics; and James Scott, emeritus professor of English at Saint Louis University, specialist in 19th and 20th-century British literature, and documentary filmmaker.This is a FREE event.
Cinema St. Louis joins more than 90 art-house movie theaters and film organizations across the country in a National Screening Day of “1984” (Michael Radford, U.K., 1984, 111 min.). The screenings will occur in 81 cities, which are located in 35 states and one Canadian province. April 4 — the screening date — was chosen because that’s the day that George Orwell’s “1984” protagonist, Winston Smith, begins rebelling against his oppressive government by keeping a forbidden diary.
On its original release — in 1984 — Roger Ebert called Michael Radford’s adaptation of Orwell’s novel a “brilliant film.” Ebert wrote: “What is remarkable about the movie is how completely it satisfied my feelings about the book; the movie looks, feels, and almost tastes and smells like Orwell’s bleak and angry vision. John Hurt, with his scrawny body and lined and weary face, makes the perfect Winston Smith; and Richard Burton, looking so old and weary in this film that it is little wonder he died soon after finishing it, is the immensely cynical O’Brien, who feels close to people only while he is torturing them.” The screening will feature Radford’s director’s cut, which uses composer Dominic Muldoney’s orchestral score (rather than the release version’s pop/electronic soundtrack by the Eurythmics).
Orwell’s novel begins with the sentence, “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” The National Screening Day participants collectively worry that the clock is already striking thirteen. Orwell’s portrait of a government that manufactures its own facts, demands total obedience, and demonizes foreign enemies has never been timelier. The event takes a stand for our most basic values: freedom of speech, respect for our fellow human beings, and the simple truth that there are no such things as “alternative facts.” The participating theaters and organizations hope to initiate a much-needed community conversation at a time when the existence of facts and basic human rights are under attack. Through nationwide participation, these screenings are intended to galvanize people at the crossroads of cinema and community, and bring us together to foster communication and resistance against current efforts to undermine the most basic tenets of our society.
The participating organizations also strongly believe in supporting the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, and see any attempt to scuttle those programs as an attack on free speech and creative expression through entertainment. The National Screening Day provides a chance for communities around the country to show their unity and have their voices heard.
Participating theaters that charge admission will be donating a portion of the proceeds to local charities and organizations or using the proceeds for the purposes of underwriting future educational and community-related programming.
Dylan Skolnick of the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, N.Y., and Adam Birnbaum of the Nova Theater Circuit, based in Stamford, Conn., are spearheading efforts to enlist other theaters to join them. They can be reached for further statement at UnitedStateOfCinema@gmail.com. For additional information about this event, visit www.unitedstateofcinema.org, which lists all participating theaters and organizations.
This week’s episode of our podcast WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is up! Hear WAMG’s Cate Marquis, Jim Batts and Tom Stockman talk movies. We’ll discuss the weekend box office and review I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, NERUDA, THE COMEDIAN, GOLD, A DOG’S PURPOSE, and RESIDENT EVIL: FINAL CHAPTER. We’ll pay our respects to the late Mary Tyler Moore and John Hurt and we’ll discuss last week’s Academy Award nominations.
JACKIE is a searing and intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, then Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (Natalie Portman). JACKIE places us in her world during the days immediately following her husband’s assassination. Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, here we see a psychological portrait of the First Lady as she struggles to establish her husband’s legacy and the world of “Camelot” that she created and loved so well.
JACKIE unites award-winning director Pablo Larraín (NERUDA, NO) with Academy Award®-winning actress Natalie Portman as they re-imagine the private side of one of the most profound moments of the 20th Century.
JACKIE opens in St. Louis on Wednesday, December 21st.
WAMG invites you to enter for the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of JACKIE on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.
Answer the following:
The 1962 television show, “A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy” was seen by over 56 million viewers. Taking unprecedented advantage of television’s new Golden Age, Jackie had invited America and the world into the newly renovated White House.
What exact date was this shown?
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.
